New Barry University coach Butch Estes is one of the few college coaches around who could accurately refer to 63-year-old Jim Larranaga as “that young guy.”

Now Estes, 64, hopes to be as successful on the Division II level as Larranaga was at the University of Miami last season.

“I think there’s a real value to having an older, more experienced coach,” Estes said. “If you look at the coaches that are making the Final Four, most are 50-plus [in age].”

Estes has been plenty successful in a basketball career that began as a 6-3 wing who was recruited by University of North Carolina assistant — and future NBA coach — Larry Brown. Estes was never good enough to play for the Tar Heels’ varsity, and after two years legendary coach Dean Smith made him an offer.

That’s how Estes became a graduate assistant, coaching players such as future NBA standout Bobby Jones and future NBA coach George Karl.

“That experience gave me my foundation in coaching,” Estes said. “Even all these years later, it all goes back to Dean Smith.”

Estes went on to earn his master’s degree at The Citadel, where his roommate was Mike Montgomery, now the coach at California. Estes became a head coach at Presbyterian in 1980 and followed that by coaching at Furman, Guilford and Miami Dade College (2003 to 2006).

The stint at MDC began Estes’ love affair with South Florida. He was an assistant coach at UM for one season (2006-07) and is coming off the most successful run of his career at Palm Beach State (2010 to 2013), where he won three consecutive conference titles and was ranked as high as No. 2 nationally among junior colleges.

Still, Estes jumped at the chance to coach at Barry.

“I’m so excited to get the opportunity to coach a four-year school in the community where we want to live,” said Estes, whose wife, Tonya, is an executive producer for the Channel 4 news team. “I’m like a kid at Christmas.”